Deputy Spots Pit Bull On The Loose, Ends Up Befriending Goofy Pup

Deputy Mark Elsaid of the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Florida was on patrol earlier this week when he spotted a pit bull not on a leash, Tiffany Wood, one of the office's public information officers, told The Huffington Post. Neighbors told Elsaid that they were concerned that the dog might possibly harm local children. Elsaid then approached the animal and quickly realized that the pooch was just after some TLC.

Red, the pit bull.

"[The pup] didn't want to terrorize the neighborhood, he just got out of his gate, and just wanted to go and be friends with everybody," Wood told HuffPost.

The policeman ended up returning the dog, whose name is Red, to his owner, but not without appeasing the pit bull's playfulness first.

Red.

"This dog just wanted to lick the officer and love him," Wood said.

The sheriff's office shared the story on its Facebook page, and Wood told HuffPost that while it was posted to showcase the work the deputies do, it could also help bust the negative stigma against pit bulls.

Red, next to the police car.

"Not all dogs are bad, especially pit bulls. We don't always hear the best things about them, but this story shows they can be really loving and friendly. [Red] just wanted to play!" she said.

CLARIFICATION: The sheriff’s public information office originally told HuffPost that Deputy Elsaid was responding to a call about the pit bull. The story has been updated to reflect the fact that the call was self-initiated as the deputy was already in the neighborhood when he spotted the dog himself.